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All Hobbies/Automata
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    Automata
    What it is like
    Maker & Engineering ›

    Automata

    Automata

    Automata

    The further from centre, the more strongly this hobby leans that way. Your quiz answers are scored against exactly these fifteen.

    • RestfulPhysical
    • IndoorsOutdoors
    • SolitarySocial
    • PracticalCreative
    • InstinctiveTechnical
    • Hands-offHands-on
    • RelaxedCompetitive
    • CautiousDaring
    • Quick winsPatient
    • PrivatePerformer
    • MinimalistCollector
    • Just do itStudious
    • Low-kitGear-heavy
    • AnalogDigital
    • ObjectsLiving things

    Making machines driven by cams, cranks and linkages, where turning a handle produces a small mechanical performance.

    Maker & Engineeringyou'll have something todaymessydone alonesedentarywants a few hourstactile
    This weekendTime to first win
    A few hoursA session
    Mostly indoorsWhere

    Step 1: Build a kit before designing your own.

    Is it you?

    Not quite it? Similar hobbies

    What you need

    3 things
    The honest floor, taking the cheapest option in each$62

    How we make money: if you buy through one of these we take a small cut, and the price is the same either way. The cheapest option that works is always listed first.

    Full cost breakdown →

    The path

    14 quests
    ASetting up1 thing to sort, in any order$65
    • Build a kit before designing your own
    BThen the quests
    • Get a kit or some basic materials
    • Build a simple cam mechanism
    • Make a hand-cranked moving figure
    11 more, revealed as you go
    Start Automata to tick these off
    Or have someone teach youBeginner automata courses, if you would rather not work it out alone.Affiliate linkBrowse

    More on Automata

    Everything else we have written about it. Free to read, no account needed.

    Guides
    Browse all guides
    What to buy1
    Best Automata Kit (2026): A Cam Is a Shape That Stores a MovementAn automaton is a machine that turns one simple input, usually a crank, into a specific sequence of movement. The clever part is almost always a cam: a shape cut so that as it rotates, a follower riding on its edge rises and falls in exactly the pattern you designed. The movement is stored in the shape.
    From the blog
    Read the blog

    Learn it with a course

    Udemy
    Recommended course

    Design a Kinetic Sculpture using Fusion 360

    Start on Udemy

    Affiliate link

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    All hobbies like Automata

    Tags for Automata

    Vote for the words that describe it. The five with the most votes show on the page.

    Start Automata